Reaper's Retribution
by Requiem of Souls
Summary: A fanfic written about Nagato granting the Tendo/Deva Path to Naruto (include using Yahiko's body). Pairing is Naruto x mini harem. More info inside. Lemon, character deaths, blood, explicit language. General warning for dark stuff. Better summery inside. Rewrite of Blades of the Underworld.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I regret saying this, but I've canceled any possible update of 'Blades of the Underworld'. Now now, don't you dare start bawling your eyes out. I wasn't quite happy with the way it was going. It was terribly hard to get inspiration for the way the story was heading. So instead, I'm rewriting it in a different direction as this fanfic. You will see a lot of content from the previous fic, because it makes writing this one easier.**

**Another note, is that flashbacks will always be in 3****rd**** person. **

**Pairings: You'll find out...**

**This is the first chapter of the rewrite. Enjoy!**

* * *

Act I

[Naruto's PoV, a month prior to present day]

Bolting upright in bed, I found myself clutching my right shoulder and expelling an angered shout. Sweat dripped from my shirtless torso and back. My breathing was ragged and it was as if an invisible vice had clamped around my chest. My eyes were clenched shut in an attempt to block out the excruciating pain creeping up my arm. I wanted to curl up into the fetal position and cry, but I willed myself to not fall into such a pathetic form. I would endure it as long as I had to, to stay strong. As quickly as it had come, the agony dulled to an uncomfortable prickle.

"It happened again... didn't it?"

Nodding as I caught my breath, I answered as I blearily rubbed my eyes, "Yeah. 'Nother night woken up by this damn thing. Just want a month t' go by without being disturbed while sleeping." I quickly checked to verify that the cloth bandages were securely wrapped around the lower half of my right appendage. Under my breath, I uttered two words, "Damn fox!"

For the last couple of years now, my right arm has been quite a bother. Back when I had freshly become a genin. It was my first real mission since becoming a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf...

[Flashback!]

_"Just me and you now Leaf brat!" grinned Zabuza, the Demon of the Hidden Mist as he stood in the center of the lake's foggy surface. His shark like teeth gleamed in the hazy light of their surroundings."Haku may have become a useless tool, but he ha rendered your fellow genin unconscious. Kakashi, passed out from exhaustion and the drunk is running for his life like a lamb about to be slaughtered. I have control of the situation and your odds are looking quite grim."_

_Naruto clenched his kunai, hands shaking in fear. His ocean blue eyes were wrought with terror. He gulped, "This was supposed t-to be a C-Rank mission. If I make this out of this alive, Tazuna is so dead!"_

_Laughing in amusement, the ex-Swordsmen of the Mist told the kid in the orange jumpsuit, "Kid, you don't seem to realize there is no levity here. You are going to die. You are barely a fledgling of a shinobi, but you do not even deserve the title, ninja. When I was your age, my hands were already soaked in blood..." This gave him a wild grin as he snarled, spittle flying from his mouth. "When you've hovered between life and death so many times that it doesn't even faze you, you may be called ninja. When you've become so deadly that your profile has entered my bingo book, then you have earned the title, ninja!"_

_Something inside the roguish genin shattered. A vital piece that became useless. Outwardly, this came apparent as red chakra began pouring out of Naruto's pores. The more that came out, it seemed to begin solidifying into muscle and soon bone. Four tails crashed into the cement floor as the beast that was once Naruto roared._

_The missing ninja gazed fearfully at the monster posed before him. "It seems that I am not the only demon here. The tables have been flipped and now it is my life that is forfeit. But don't think I'll make this easy for you!"_

_The rest was blank to the young genin._

[End Flashback]

"Naruto!"

I snapped back into reality as Sakura's concerned voice brought me out of my reverie, "Wha? Sorry, still waking up here. I'm fine now. Go back to sleep. Still dark out."

Sakura appeared to have had something to say, but her mouth closed. A sigh left her lips before she turned heel and left me alone in the darkness. Now wide awake, I knew sleep would not come to me. With nothing better to do, I decided on meditation... and perhaps a chat.

Upon closing my eyes, I focused my chakra down to the Dead Demon Consuming seal on my lower torso. A gentle tugging from my subconscious pulled me into my mindscape. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in the familiar sewer that made up my mindscape.

It had taken a couple years, ever since before the last round of the chunin exam, to memorize where the identical halls lead to. After traversing the the twisting and turning corridors for what seemed like an hour, I found myself standing before a door-less shrine. As I walked forward, the braziers along the wall ignited, bathing the long chamber in an eerie blue glow.

"You've been redecorating in here," I stated.

As I walked further into the elegant structure, the braziers lining the walls flickered into existence. Incense was burning, the aroma almost pungent. At the very back of the shrine was a fox-like figure sprawled upon a myriad of cushions, a very womanly figure. The torches around her ignited, revealing her identity. She was nude except for the fur she was born with. A faint blush burned on my cheeks. Beautiful was a word far too tame to describe her. Sitting beside the vixen was a pair of vulpine maids attending to her like a goddess or a demon queen.

Her voice rumbled as she spoke, **"Oh how nice of you to finally drop in, Naruto-sama."** Her slitted crimson eyes were trained on me. **"I was wondering if you cared to visit me at all." **Her tone was light and teasing.

"W-what happened to your big and scary form?"

Smiling at me softly, Kyuubi beckoned me towards her with a simple nod of her head. My body seemed to move on its own accord. Soon, I was sitting cross-legged beside the nine-tails and the Ichibi. Then in an angelic voice, she spoke, **"Because this is my true form, Naruto-kun."** I blushed wildly as she graced my name with that suffix. But mostly because the the person who had always been with me was naked. It'd been different when she was a fifty-foot tall demon fox. Now, she seemed more...less scary. "**I only show my true form to one person."**

"And for what reason are you showing it to me?"

Cupping my cheeks, Kyuubi kissed me on nose, **"Because I love you. But we can chat later. It has been far too long since you last came to visit me." **She paused, her eyes flashing then seemed to have a flashback as her eyes went opaque before returning to their normal crimson red.

I narrowed my eyes, replying, "I have been...busy lately as you very well know. It was an unexpected turn. I am supposed to leave in the morning to begin my sage training with the toads and this will be the last time I can talk to you in my head. The training will keep me busy and I won't be able to get a break long enough. So we talk now. About what you just said."

**"****Of course. I was hoping to converse for awhile, but it seems that we don't have the luxury of time. I wasn't lying when I said I'm in love with you Naruto,"** began the woman in front of me, swaying each of her nine tails behind her. A dark blush could barely be seen beneath her fur. **"I am hopelessly in love with my host, the human who I've spent nearly seventeen years with. I didn't even really start caring for you until you went off with that sage. Now, I want to be your life mate."**

I growled, "You think that just because you say you're in love with me, I would believe you? That you'd think I'd forget everything you've done?" I rose to my feet, curling my hand into a fist. "I have never forgotten! You attacked my village! You killed many innocent people in Konohagakure!"

**"****I..."**

"Urusei!" I snarled, my eyes colder than the abyss. I raised my hand and launched a punch at the Kyuubi's solar plexus. "You dare interrupt me bitch? When I'm still talking?" I spat. "It's all because of you! It's because of you that I was treated as a demon. Because of you, I was forced to be an outcast and a pariah!" Not looking at the pain I was causing her, I said coldly, "Because of you I was nearly killed every year of the anniversary of my birth!" I backhanded her. She just sat there, taking my punishments willingly.

**"****I...I deserve all of that and more," **whimpered the fox woman before me. She was crying. Her cheek were stained with tears. **"I wish I could have stopped all of that. I wanted to help you all this time. I hated seeing you get beat up. A-at first, I just hated having to heal you over and over again like some pathetic wretch. But...somewhere along the lines of the years, I fell in love with you. Even I...a kitsune who reached nine tails, a status rare among foxes..." **She couldn't seem to finish her sentence. **"Naruto, I won't lie to you. I have never lied to you. When I attacked the village, I was not in my right mind. A masked man. The one the red-haired man told you; he manipulated me with that accursed Sharingan!"** The Kyuubi sniffed and looked at me longingly.** "I love you more than either of us can comprehend. I want, nay, I need you as my mate!"**

My facial features softened as the scowl vanished. I pitied her only a little bit. "How can I trust you Kyuubi?" I asked cautiously. "How do I know you're not making a ploy to escape the seal?"

Pulling herself up against my legs, she cried, **"I will do anything to be yours Naruto-sama. My body and my mind belongs to you. You can do anything you want to me. I just ask that I be your eternal mate. I sound so pathetic, don't I?"**

"You kinda do." I replied, my voice emotionless. "Have you a name besides Kyuubi?"

Bowing, the nine-tailed vixen replied, **"My name master, is Yuuko. I am the eldest and most honored summon of the fox contract. Please Naruto-sama, make me yours. I would be honored to have your kits."**

"Hold on Yuuko," I began, rolling her real name off the tip of my tongue. All this time, I just knew her as the nine-tails. "I haven't agreed to anything yet. But I will think about your offers and your submission to me. For now, I must rest. This training will not be easy."

**"****Yes master. I look forward to our next meeting,"** said Yuuko as she flashed a loving smile in my direction. It seemed that between her sobbing words and my uncontrolled rage, the words she spoke rang true. I had known her much of my life and she had never lied to me except the one time. Perhaps... there is room for trust.

* * *

[Flash Forward to Present Day]

As I appear near the bottom of a large crater, I mumbled, "I don't get it. Where is this supposed to be?" Then it occurred to me. We were standing at the village gates where I had been once reverse summoned to Mount Myōboku for training in Senjutsu. But what I see instead of the village I grew up in and cherished was now nothing but rubble. Every building... gone.

"Really... I was gone for such a short time, and Pain come and destroys my home? It is now time to reclaim my land," I muttered to no one in particular. The two toads sitting on my shoulder were bickering about some monotonous thing or another.

Once the smoke from the summoning cleared, I could see the Akatsuki's leader Pain clearly from atop of Gama Bunta's head. My brow creased as my anger grew.

As he strode towards me casually, he said, his voice carried, "Good, now I don't have to hunt you down."

In the sky, something caught my eye. Immediately, I recognized it as one of the Akatsuki thanks to my Sage enhanced vision. With an explosion of smoke, I saw that it was the rest of Pain's bodies. The elderly male frog mumbled, "Now all six of them have assembled. This- Tsunade?"

Standing in between me and the Akatsuki, was the Hokage,looking completely exhausted and limping. Breathing heavily, she spoke, "I... am the fifth Hokage." She paused in attempts to catch her breath. "How dare you trample upon the jewel, the dreams of my predecessors?! I won't forgive you! I'll settle this now, as Hokage!"

"It appears that you understand little about pain," came the Akatsuki leader's grave voice, "however, I have no need of you right now. The one I seek-"

Intercepting the body that had launched itself at granny, I smashed the mechanical Pain as I completed my opponent's sentence, "IS ME!"

Feeling Tsunade's stunned gaze at my back, I said, "There's no need for the Hidden Leaf's Hokage to bother herself with the likes of them. So you just sit back and sip some tea, granny." I was grinning. I had confidence here.

"Naruto..."

Not waiting for me to answer, Pain said, "So, you are Naruto Uzumaki?"

Just the way he said my name, utterly pissed me off. I spat, "That's it! Let's settle this!"

The only female of Pain' bodies stepped forwards and began summoning a giant rhino that charged me. I easily knocked it aside with the nature energy I had gathered beforehand imbued in my fist. More and more monstrous summons began appearing. With the growing number, I had my own summons begin to deal with them.

Now with the summons out of the way, I began sprinting towards the nearest Pain, the one Katsuya called the Tendo Path that could absorb any and all ninjutsu. "Frog Kumite it is." As I sent out a flurry of sweeping punches and a roundhouse kick, I found none of my strike met their target. It was very frustrating. That's when the slug informed me that all the bodies of Pain had connected vision and there are essentially no blind spots. That would have helped a second ago! "Then I'll have to make a move that they can't predict." In a forward right hook, I aimed at the Tendo' head. As it barely dodged the strike, I let out a burst of nature energy and knocked it out cold. I stood, grinning victorious of the small skirmish.

"I see you've mastered Senjutsu and have become a Sage like Jiraiya sensei," spoke Pain, emotionless.

Eyes widening, I uttered, "Jiraiya... You called him sensei?"

"That's right," he replied. "I also learned jutsu from him. He once was my master as well. And that makes us sibling students, sharing the same sensei meaning we ought to be able to understand each other. And that we know our Sensei desired peace."

"Just shut the hell up already!" I snarled as my latest addition to my jutsu arsenal ready. With taunt muscles, I then unleashed the product of all my secret training. It landed near the center of the group. While the main Path and two others jumped to safety one pushed the female body out of the way and was shredded to nothingness.

A giant bird was summoned and aimed for me, which I dodged and then engaged the Summoning Path. It was easy to beat her down and out cold using the cover of the dust that Ma toad provided and a Rasengan barrage!

"You've exhausted your Sage Mode," observed Pain.

He was right. I was devoid of any nature energy and now wasn't the time to gather more. Throwing the scroll to the elderly toads, I had them reverse summon a shadow clone stored of with nature energy and released it. Renewed with Sage mode, I was ready to fight again.

As we traded blows, I could tell we were almost on par with each other, but I knew he had the advantage, even with my Senjutsu. As the battle wore on, I was tiring quickly and now I had no more clones to gather nature energy. One Rasen-shurikan was absorbed by the Tendo Path and the other missed.

*You all know how the entire Naruto vs Pain fight goes and it's hard for me to write, so yeah)

Eventually, I finally defeated him and to find the original body of who Pain really was.

* * *

"...see?" Removing the worn gauntlet from my right hand, I pulled the sleeve back, revealing the curse I'd been dealt by Kami. What should have effectively been a normal appendage was a clawed hand. Long reddish-orange fur covered where there should have been plain, tanned skin. It somewhat resembled a limb from a creature belonging to the demons whom resided inside of me.

"I know what pain is. You see Nagato, there is no reason to use power to attain peace. I have no doubt that you have the power to rule the world. However, to achieve peace, one must not misuse power for it is but a dangerous tool for those who wield it. Look at my arm. Though I never asked for this, the cosmos-nay, the gods have given this to me. I know not why; it is akin to being the Kyuubi and the Ichibi or so the villagers believe. It made me into a pariah for something that was not in my power to control. I have felt your pain. I could make you feel mine!" I flared my eyes will malice before I calmed. "But I shan't. I will continue to follow my master's teaching and I'll never give up!"

"This cannot be!" Nagato's eyes narrowed as he mustered the physical strength to inspect the nature my malevolent looking appendage. The brittle hand of the Rinnegan wielder fell to his side. It seemed that the aliased 'Pain' had seen something frightening. Something almost terrifying.

"I see now, Naruto. I have heard your story. You are burdened by the very essence of the Kyuubi itself; you know pain like none other. Kurama has wrapped his tainted tendrils to your very body. They could take-over your body and your mind if nothing is done quickly." He paused, looking down at me. "I now realize I was never meant to become a god. The bijou are more fit to be called gods. Kami...Shinigami-sama...they must despise me. My destiny lies in reviving the people of Konohagakure, all of the previous hosts of the bijuu and your parents. I brutally slaughtered the people of your village. I aim to rectify my misdeeds. When Yahiko had died, I took on his dream to create a world unburdened by war, but I became lost in the darkness. Darkness with the blood-stained eyes of evil. I will revive all of Konoha." Coughing violently, Nagato answered with a weak smile, "It is possible through the Sage of the Six Paths. However doing so, I am going to die. You will succeed me as the next Rikudo Sennin. I was not worthy of the title."

He coughed up a globule of blood and said as Konan gave a horrified gasp, "You have opened my eyes. I now realize my misdoings and I am willing to sacrifice myself to correct what I have wronged. For the greater good. I only hope you can resist the darkness and fight off the same misguidance I fell into. I'd been fooled by a vision without any pain. O-only you can bring peace back to the world once you have slain Madara. You know his fake persona as Tobi. That bastard manipulated me into seeking the bijou for his nefarious plot: Tsuki no Mai. Yahiko and Jiraiya had a dream, a dream of a world of peace, unmarred by war and violence. I give you my blessing to end the world's pain that is war. The only downside, it the souls chosen to return are completely random. But most will be the shinobi sacrificed to protect your precious village. I cannot teach you the secrets of the Rinnegan or the jutsu I learned. You must discover it on your own."

"NO!" blurted the Angel of Amegakure. "I cannot allow you to die, Nagato. You deserve a second chance. You deserve to achieve world peace." The blue haired beauty paused before saying in a calmer voice, "I will be the sacrifice. Let my life force and my chakra fuel your Yin Yang Release." Her eyes were pleading as they burgeoned with virgin tears. I knew she couldn't bear to lose Nagato. I was about to make a deal when the redhead interrupted.

Laughing grimly, Nagato said, "No Konan, I will do this alone. Nay, I have to. You cannot use this jutsu. This body of mine will soon perish. I brought this upon myself and-" The dark bout of laughter had caused another coughing fit to red-haired man. "I am close to death and I know what I must do." Turning back to me, Nagato finished, "I know something that may help, but you must trust me with this. I shall attempt to give you the Deva Path before I pass on into the next world. I do not know if it is feasible. I will not know what will happen to the other paths in combination with resurrecting Konoha. I suggest you find them before something goes awry. Do you trust me?"

I nodded, stunned at Nagato's selfless generosity when we had been enemies moments ago. Aloud, I said, "If I am to protect all that is dear to me, then I need all the power I can get, even if it comes with a price. I am honored, brother pupil of Jiraiya."

Looking at the blue-haired woman, he said, "I loved you all my life. I'm sorry I never confessed my feelings for you. I always knew Yahiko had a thing for you. Good bye Konan." The sole female member of the Akatsuki gasped. I could see her holding back an ocean of tears.

"Do it."

At my verbal command, Nagato of Amegakure wove a long series of hand-seals in quite a frenzy. He did not make any mistakes. As he came to slower pace, I knew he was nearing the end of weaving the hand-seals. As the man whom was connected to many tubes, his hair was drained of all color and had thinned drastically. "Naruto, please take care of Konan..." Coming to the final seal, Nagato wheezed, "**Gedō: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu!"**

A menacing gargantuan white figure erupted out out from the ground. The King of Hell stretched it's maw wide, thousands of green bolts of energy soaring out of it's white clad body. I could only fathom that they were the souls of everyone who had given their life during the Akatsuki's invasion. A single blazing red arrow overshot the village towards the Hokage monument. I looked back at the lifeless body of the Rinnegan user. I was about to walk over to Konan to comfort her when an all light-encompassing sphere of darkness slammed into the epicenter of my being. It felt like I was dying instantaneously. I screamed in agony until a glowing white sphere gently floated into my soul. I felt fuzzy before I drifted off into unconsciousness. Before I blacked out, a series of images flashed before me. But I hadn't been able to make any sense of them before I 'died'.

* * *

My consciousness floated in a black ether. It seemed like the energies of the endless void would swirl around me for an eternity... until I found myself in what appeared to be a vision of my first apartment. The one in the poorest district of Konohagakure. It was sort of nostalgic really.

A figure swathed in shadows rounded the corner, taking their time. Tall, dark and intimidating were words that hardly described the being in question. It's cloak seemed to be made of the blackest shadows, yet alive. Tendrils of darkness writhed at the edges of the garment. It's mere presence was the cause of my skin crawling. His gaze seemed to pierce my soul, but appeared calm and collected despite my inner fear. He wore a demon's visage, akin to the ghouls said to wander the afterlife.

The shadowy figure remained taciturn for several more moments. It seems that over the years, I became aware of people's intent from mere non-verbal cues. This creature was no exception; but still quite puzzling to myself. From what I could glean, the oni-faced being was in deep thought, carefully deciding their words. I would assume he never made a mistake, but took great care and time in his decisions. To ask whom he was would be a farce, for whom the bell tolls, it was the Death God. It answered the unspoken question. A haunting feminine voice boomed, "I am know by many names; Anubis, Osiris, Hades, the Grim or the Shinigami. You Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, are marked."

I grimaced, preparing myself for damnation.

A hollow chuckle filled my ears. The omniscient presence of Death spoke, "No, your soul cannot be claimed...yet. It is not your time, mortal. Nay, I have other plans for thee." A gout of silver flames rushed before my face, only to have a scroll appear before me. She drawled in an almost bored tone, "You will become my fledgling apprentice, doing what work I cannot in the realm of living. I cannot rise to the human world unless someone dies or I am summoned. There are those who defy mortality. You are to send their souls to me by terminating their forfeited lives. Simple enough?"

"What do I gain for becoming 'Lil Death?' I inquired, almost condescendingly. I had appeared to have grown a cynical and aloof side to myself. Perhaps Jiraiya rubbed off on me. It wouldn't be a bad thing, would it? "I fought for my village, yet you demand me to wander the world to kill random people? Am I just a slave to do your bidding? I am not the naïve brat I was years ago."

Death shook her head, "Oh no, I would not be so cruel as to coerce you to work for me for nothing. No, I will give you a new weapon and temporary immortality while you carry out my will. I will also grant you abilities no mortal could imagine. I could not see why you would turn down a gift like this."

"What's the catch?"

"Humans, always asking about the catch." The death reaper shook her head in disbelief. Likely not the first time she'd offered unbelievable power to someone. She sighed and replied, " Unfortunately, it does require a sacrifice on your part. You are required to leave everyone you knew behind to train in a new fighting style no mortal has ever known. There is a terrible war coming and you are the only one who can end it. You and your demon fox alone aren't able to stop it. But if you are trained by the gods, perhaps you can change the fate of the human realm. Will you lose yourself, and become the savior of your world? Or stay and suffer?"

Remaining taciturn for a full minute, I was deciding the cons and pros within my head. Refusing could have an effect upon the world, possibly thus ending it. Agreeing and going through with the training would mean losing every relationship I had since I became a genin. But it would also mean I would receive the power to protect my friends. I sighed. I had to do what was right: I had to break all bonds with them. Finally, I looked up at him and said, "I'll do it, Hades."

"Excellent. Come with me at once. The good thing about this, is that time is relative in the underworld," she twittered as she lead me away from the vision of my old apartment. "Technically, you aren't really sacrificing much, but once you awaken in Yahiko's body, people will see you as the enemy and it will be terribly hard to mend the distrust your greed for power."

"How did you-"

Rolling her eyes, the Shinigami replied, "I was there when you accepted Nagato's offer. He has been dying for several years now. It's taken so long for him to die! Thankfully, your inspiring speech forced him to finally die, doing his last good deed in the world. Now, your training begins!"

* * *

**A/N: And here, the first chapter comes to an end, perhaps to be continued? Maybe reviews will encourage me to write some more!**

**Also, forgive me for the poor quality of the Naruto vs Pain fight. I'm not very good at writing those kinds of scenes.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: And here is chapter two. Also, there's a mistake when I call the main body the Deva Path; I actually meant the Tendo Path. Anyways, enjoy the new chapter.**

* * *

[Hours Later, Battlefield]

I soon woke in a new location, somewhere none too far from Konohagakure. Perhaps somewhere closer to the camouflaged paper tree and the ruins of the Hidden Leaf. The Akatsuki cloak was ripped and torn. There was hardly any of it left. _Wait, Akatsuki? _

Frantically, I looked down at my body; I discovered that Nagato had successfully transferred me into Yahiko's body. The trademark piercings were all there; on my ears, around my neck, the bridge of my nose, the two spiked stud in my underlip, and on my limbs. They no longer served as chakra receivers. Now they were simply gone and the holes healed. The magatama necklace was somehow in one piece. It was a sacred relic; perhaps it could not be broken. The demonic right arm...was gone! My arm was normal once again. I looked human again! I was relieved that no-one had taken the time to retrieve Pain's bodies. It would have been hell to sneak out. Probably would have gotten myself killed if that had been the situation.

Struggling to my feet, I gasped. Agony washed all through my body. I felt as if Itachi had cast **Amaterasu** on me. Trial and error. Further from an hour, I had managed to bear with the pain and climbed to my feet. Nearby, I limped over to a what was probably a shattered mirror. I found that I was indeed in the body of the Tendo Path. I wondered, _Is the Kyuubi still sealed within me?_

**"****Yes kit," **spoke a soft ever-so feminine voice that echoed as clear as day in my mind, **"****I am still inside you to my spitefulness."** I sighed in relief before she chastised, **"****You know that was an incredibly stupid and risky thing to gamble on? The boy had practically limited experience with fuinjutsu. We both could have perished just because you wanted more power! You obviously weren't thinking of the possible consequences. I die if you die, kit. I'm the all-fucking-powerful Kyuubi no Yoko! I will not die, even if that means keeping a brat like you alive!" **I sweat-dropped, letting the Kyuubi rant on such a rash decision. Then she added in a softer tone, **"****You look...interesting now. Those piercing make you look a lot less like a baka chibi. You used to look so pathetic. Mm. Sexy may be too flattering to describe you, but handsome isn't good enough. Sexy will have to do."**

"Shush you," I blushed as I began running a hand through the reddish-orange, unkempt mane atop my head. "Wait a second, you tried to fucking steal my soul and everything you stupid fox! You can't be trusted!"

**"****I just wanted to shield you away from the pain," **she replied softly. She sounded like she was crying now. **"****My actions were errant. I don't expect forgiveness for my folly. I wanted to show my love for you by protecting you."**

I shook my head, "Your heart was in the right place, but what you tried is unforgivable. I cannot forgive you yet. Maybe one day." That last bit was whispered.

Once finished examining my new body, I slowly began to head back to the hideout in the forest to retrieve a few things. The Kyuubi retreated back into her own cage, busying herself with whatever it is that demon foxes do.

When I had arrived, Konan was still there, lamenting over the lifeless body of her partner with sorrowful tears. Her porcelain face was red and puffy, stained with tears. She paid me no heed as I entered. _She must have _really_loved him, _I realized. I gave her a consoling gaze of sympathy to which the Angel of Ame had ignored. It seemed that she was far too busy to even notice me.

Giving her some space, I picked up and dusted off one of the spare Akatsuki cloaks. I looked back around at my own corpse. It was rather perturbing to be alive and look at your own dead body...or what used to be my body. I slowly walked toward it, shuddering. Some things just aren't meant to happen for a reason. I rummaged through the pockets of my corpse where I found the communications ear-piece, my frog wallet and strangely enough, one of my father's famous custom-crafted kunai. It pique my curiosity to find such a tool on my person. Ero-sennin probably had thought it would have been a hilarious joke. Then realizing that in reality, ero-sensei was gone, I began to become furious at Nagato for murdering the old geezer. Knowing that getting mad over what was long past would be a waste of energy, I thought no more of it. I vowed to buy another copy of 'Tale of a Gutsy Ninja' after I buried my old body next to where I felt Nagato should be laid to rest.

Standing up again, I looked around for anything else that could be useful for fighting Madara Uchiha. I abruptly remembered the metal rods Nagato had used to pin me to the ground with. I saw several of them lying around. There were seals on the wrist-guards that stored them. I'd always wondered where he'd produced them. I retrieved them before giving a sorrowful glance at the scene before me: Konan was hugging the lifeless body of the red-haired man. Her tears were falling in a torrent, sputtering incoherently. I whispered a farewell before heading out to Konoha. As I was running, a random thought pierced my mind, _I really ought to commission a specialized weapon unlike any other living nin can use. These spears look awkward to use, not that I'm much of a weapon user. Tenten would have a field-day with these._

My earpiece crackled to life as I was burying the blond haired form of my old body. The familiar voice of a certain lazy shinobi bristled in my ear, causing me to growl unconsciously, "Hey Naruto, come in. Something weird is going on here in Konoha...or what's left of it. People are...they seem to be coming back to life! Come back as soon as you can. And watch out for any lingering Akatsuki."

"Roger that."

A moment of static buzzed in my ear before Shikamaru asked, "Are you okay man? Your voice sounds deeper than it usually does. Ah, no matter. We'll see you soon." I only grunted in response as I leaped from tree to tree, discarding the crossed out Amegakure headband as I went. My toned midsection and sides hurt like fuck. I guess Senjutsu in Frog Kumite would leave nasty bruises.

Hurrying past the obliterated gates of Kohonagakure, in my new body, I started towards one of the white healing tents among the destruction and debris. Shikamaru idled impatiently by the opened flap. Upon seeing me, the Nara clan heir took up the defensive position, barking orders to the shinobi still able to hold a weapon. The battered shinobi took formation to bar me, but froze in utter fear.

"P-Pain..." Shikamaru's eyes were holding back fearful tears. One man had slain everyone he knew and loved. He choked, "H-have you slain Naruto and come back to slaughter the rest of us, you unholy demon?!" Tears were now streaming down the tactical strategist's cheeks. He knew even with his kagemane and advanced strategy tactics, no one could stop the Ame shinobi.

Holding my hand up, I said gently, "That's enough, Shikamaru." This confused the hell out of the Nara heir. "I know I look like the one who trashed this village. But I am not he. Long story short, when Nag-er Pain sacrificed himself to bring back everyone in Konoha, I somehow lost my body and was placed inside this one. But I am truly Naruto!"

The black-haired shinobi sniffed, saying, "I-I really want to believe that it's you, Naruto-kun. B-but how can I know this isn't some sort of..of a ruse?"

"Tch. You're still alive aren't you, Shikamaru?" I grinned all goofy like. With all the piercings, I probably looked scarier. The aforementioned ninja nodded weakly. Focusing a small amount of chakra to my stomach, the newly instated Rinnegan wielder."I am the Nine Tails Jinchurriki. I will be Hokage someday! Dattebayo!" Something seemed off to me; Shikamaru would never cry over something like this, not even in fear. He hadn't even cried when Hidan and Kakuzu disemboweled sir-smokes-a lot. Something smelled fishy. Not like ramen gone bad.

Shikamaru's crying had stopped and replaced with a wet smile. That trademark catchphrase was enough to prove the spiky red-haired shinobi that resembled Pain's identity was truly Naruto. "It is you. No one else I know talks like that about being a Hokage with that much passion...or that stupid speech pattern." I gained a tick mark when he insulted the way I spoke. "It's good to see you alive." He jotted something down on a slip of paper and ordered some people who could still walk to relay information to the higher ups.

I asked sharply, "What kind of 'horrible' situation is it to recall me back here?" The skirmish between the Six Paths and myself had left me utterly enervated. "I could have taken a good long nap. But noooo, you had to make me come back! I had to fucking walk all the way back here after getting a new body covered in bruises and cuts. Not to mention my head feels like I was smashed with a pillowcase full of bricks."

"Ah, Naruto!" One of the masked Anbu agents approached me. She wore a white mask that depicted the likeliness of a cat. Her purple hair was barely visible. "Thank Kami's eternal breath that you're here! I overheard that you live Pain's main body now. One of Pain's other vessels seems to have come alive again. She has been non-responsive to our interrogations. Ibiki nor Inoichi seem to have the energy to move, much less interrogate a prisoner." She looked towards a closed ward and added, "She's been thrashing around. We weren't sure why she was, but we took the liberty of restraining her. Please, come quickly!"

At that moment, Kaka-sensei, Gai and Shikaku appeared from behind a few tents to thrust me to the ground. How hadn't I known they were going to pull something on me? Earlier, I had noticed Shikamaru's out of character charade. To that action, my response was a deep, primal growl. I shrugged them off rather easily, surprised at the physical prowess of my new body. I saddened a moment as I remembered that this body had once belonged to Nagato's best friend. I was about to retaliate, my body entered near complete paralysis. Looking around, I saw I was under Shikamaru's Shadow-possession jutsu. I snarled, "What's the big idea asstard?!"

The Copycat nin said warily, "Precautions. You may act like Naruto, but you look too much like the enemy. The only way to confirm that you are indeed that noisy brat I was assigned to Team 7 four years ago, is for Torture and Interrogation to enter your subconscious and look into your memories. Go ahead, Inoichi." Nodding, an aged man with medium-long blonde hair held his hands up in the formation of a triangle and muttered something that sounded similar to Ino's 'Mind Transfer Technique'. _Those fuckers lied._ Instantaneously, I fell unconscious as two of the jonins had dashed to catch the man's sagging body.

* * *

[Much Later]

I awoke to find myself in a bed made of tattered tatami mat just outside the recovery ward. It was already past sunset. The dusky purple was swallowing up the tangerine and crimson sky. I sat up, clutching my temples with an agonizing headache that pulsed every moment that dawdled by. I opened my eyes, still unfamiliar with this body and its many piercings. Nearby, Inoichi was stirring.

"Oi, he's Naruto-kun," said the blonde interrogator whom was also holding his temples. Rising to his feet, Inoichi said, "He's still Konoha's Number One Knuckle-Headed Ninja..." He stumbled, gripping onto Kakashi's arm for support. "I came across a few...odd things while sifting through his memories and subconscious." He paused, scrutinizing what horrid things he saw in my mind and the body's databank. "I saw things like Naruto-san's Chunin match with Neji Hyuuga as well as his first C-Rank mission that turned into an A-Rank." Again, Inoichi paused before releasing some strange information, "I also seem to have dug up some memories from..the last two owners of this body! It's something like...Naruto's memories and soul were hastily shoved into this body. He may have some memory loss. And...I encountered something...malevolent in there. T-Take me to the Hokage so I can report to her." Gai took over and carried him toward the south east. I almost expected the spandex-wearing freak to start spouting off some nonsense.

"Ugh. My head hurts like a motherfucking bitch," I complained as Kaka-sensei sat next to me, handing me a bowl of plain rice. Eagerly, I dug in, not having eaten properly in month (bugs don't count as food!).

"Maah, maah. You'll be fine Naruto-kun," said the white haired Copy-Cat nin, giving me one of his famous one-eyed smiles and a wave of his hand. "Ibiki and Inoichi are almost never gentle with pulling information. They made an exception for you if you really were Naruto." He patted me on the head, eliciting a warning growl. "To be honest, I never expected you to have been forced into a body like this. Even I thought you were the Akatsuki leader. Can't be too careful these days with the chaos the Leaf Village has endured." Nodding to the tent behind us, Kakashi commented, "Anyways, the reason we pulled you back is because of what's in there. The summoning body of Pain seems to have come back to life. I have other things to take care of on the road we call life. Ta ta~" I rolled my eyes; it seems that Kaka-sensei always used that as an excuse if he was late or wanted to leave.

An anbu with a bird shaped mask pulled open the ward sleeve and ushered me inside. Tori quickly exited to stand guard. On a makeshift table constructed from usable debris, a young red haired woman lay naked and shackled. Her hair, pinned up in the likeness of an onion. Aside from the piercings, she looked no older than nineteen. Possibly even younger than myself. Her eyes fluttering open, she asked in a soft voice, "W-where am I? Why am I alive?"

"Leave us," I growled in a firm, commanding tone. My brows were furrowed in anger at how a young girl like her was being treated. "I need to interrogate her without outside interference. I work best on this subject, alone. Now scram!"

"Sir, shouldn't Ibiki lead the interrogation? He knows this sort of stuff." asked one of the senior academy students. He had an air of arrogance that would likely get him killed, if I didn't kill him first. I wondered for a moment, _was I ever __that__ annoying?_

"Shut up fucktard and get out! NOW!" I roared, glaring at the teen who had spoken out of line. Healers and shinobi alike filed out the flap of the tent, pulling the brat along with them. They knew better than to argue with the Leaf Village's 'savior'. Once I was alone, I asked as I unlocked the shackles binding the woman, "How do you feel?"

The young woman's eyes watched my movements warily. She remained taciturn while I applied some healing ointments of which only I knew of a few. She opened her mouth, but no words escaped; just a dry rasping cough. I handed her my personal water-skin which she drained relatively quickly. So much for rationing my liquids. Smacking her lips as if she'd gone months without water, the pale woman said, "I feel like I was kicked through the chest. Maybe hit with a log."

From my gentle interrogation methods, I'd learned that her name was Yuri Shuma. She hadn't had any formal training as a ninja besides her special gift of summoning. She'd died early in her teens. She wasn't a threat to the Hidden Leaf. She didn't seem to have any information.

* * *

Several weeks had raced by and several shinobi barracks had been constructed. Twelve ninja shared a single room and a large co-ed bathroom. Male and females slept, ate and bathed together. It couldn't have been any more uncomfortable despite the bonding opportunity it provided. Except when I was around and the Leaf ninja were still adjusting to the new me (even I was still adjusting to my new body. Kept hitting my head where I normally wouldn't). It felt like I was a child again, being pointed at and being called a demon. Now, they were whispering that I was a traitor, that I was still the enemy, not that it had helped that I'd grown fond of the Akatsuki cloak. But I did my absolute best to ignore it and hold my head high. Thankfully because I was technically the 'hero' of the Hidden Leaf, I was to have my own house constructed as soon as possible by Yamato-sensei. He had informed me that it would be ready to move into within a few hours. That prospect had lightened my mood, and probably those of the other Leaf shinobi.

It had been an awe-inspiring sight to see Yamato-sensei using his Mokuton to construct. "Mokuton: Four Pillar House no Jutsu!" In the near center of Konohagakure, four wooden pillars burst from ground. From there, the beams arched and became the skeleton of the building. From each pillar, rows of planks grew out, completing the initial structure. All it needed now were windows, a door and my own personal flair.

The small, recovering village seemed to be in high spirits as the reconstruction of Konohagakure was well underway. Since Yamato was a Mokuton user, I guess he wouldn't have a day off anytime soon. But I noticed something else had the workers, civilians and shinobi gossiping about. From straining my ears, I was able to discern that a woman with scorching red hair had returned.

To me, it didn't particularly matter to me. The only thing on my mind now was to consume twelve bowls of ramen from the Ichiraku stand. I'd been informed that it had been one of the first buildings to be reconstructed. When I'd arrived there, I was happy to see that the small ramen stand had evolved into it's own building. The stools seemed to have been refurbished and had new seat covers! It was so awesome!

"NEH! I'll never get used to your new look Naruto-kun," said Ayame, sweat-dropping as she rubbed the back of her head. The poor girl looked as if she'd seen a ghost when I'd arrived."What will it be today?"

"Spicy miso ramen with extra pork!" Two voices shouted excitedly at the same time; one male and the other, female.

I looked over at the stool beside me to find a woman whom looked no older than twenty-five and had long, fiery hair the color of a very ripe tomato. _Wait a second, her hair was the same shade as Nagato's!_ A black colored hair clip held the right side of her bangs behind her ear. She was grinning widely at the coincidental identically simultaneous order. I asked, "Oh. Who might you be?" Despite my intimidating appearance, the woman hadn't seemed to be afraid. She probably was a visiting tourist, one who hadn't known about Pain or the Akatsuki. No wonder she wasn't bolting off in fear or flinching every time I moved.

**"****She's a cutie, Naruto-kun," **teased Kyuubi as she looked through my eyes. I ignored the bijou's raucous laughter inside my head. **"Maybe put a few babies in there. She's got some pretty damn big hips!" **_Not as big as yours Kyuu-chan, _I thought. The vixen gave me a silly pout as if she were still mocking me.

"My name is Kushina Uzumaki, dattebane!" squealed the red-haired woman. She seemed incredible to be around, so full of energy and excitement. She was practically bouncing in her seat like a five year old at the breakfast table.

"Ehhh!? You're an Uzumaki too?" I questioned with a water spit-take off to the side. Good thing nobody on the street was nearby. "Nani? I don't have a clan, dattebayo! This-"

"Aiiie! You even have a weird speech pattern like me, dattebane! You really must be a close relative of mine," squealed Kushina, her eyes blazing with intrigue. "You have to-no, you absolutely must tell me your name!"

I had easily caved under her pressure. "Eh? I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I will be the greatest Hokage in the history kage!" I grinned madly, my voice louder than indoors admitted. When she heard this, the red-haired beauty's face had turned to shock. Something was clearly bothering her; as crystal clear as the day. "Uh Kushi-chan? Is something wrong?" As old man Teuchi placed the bowls of ramen in front of us, the aroma seemed to draw the woman out of her stupor. He and his daughter were greatly enjoying the now awkward exchange between myself and the mysterious redheaded woman.

"N-Naruto?"

"Mmhm," I replied as I broke the wooden chopsticks apart and said, "Itadakimasu!" I then immediately dug into the meal set before me. I felt as if I hadn't eaten in forever. I was on my second bowl before Kushina had even started her first. It was as if I was almost inhaling the noodles and I probably was.

The red-haired woman was in deep thought as she poked around the noodles. A frown was on her face creased her forehead. It really didn't suit her. Kushina asked abruptly, "Naruto-kun... who was your father?" I blanched when she added kun the end of my name.

That was a question I had to think about. In the fight with Pain not so long ago, I had almost torn off the Kyuubi's seal for the power to save Konoha, only to be stopped by the one and only Yodaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze. The one who'd sealed the Kyuubi no Yoko inside my gut. But he was also my father and had entrusted his legacy unto me. Scratching the tip of my nose, I answered, "Eeto...you see, he was the fourth Hokage. He sacrificed himself to put the Kyuubi inside of me. Er...I think his name was Minato Namikaze or something like that."

"N-no...iie...that's i-impossible! Y-you can't be my son. My sochi had blond hair," stuttered Kushina, holding her hand to her breast. "He had the most adorable feature; cute whisker-marks on his pudgy face...why? How can you be my sochi? You aren't lying...but..." Her face contorted into an face I knew was about to cry.

In my mindscape, the Kyuubi facepalmed and said,** "Shiiiiiiiiiiit! I can't believe I forgot to make those reappear! Stupid, stupid me! I'll get right on it Master." **

Setting down my bowl, I hugged her, not thinking of the ramifications. A familiar lazy, carefree voice filled the stand, "Maah, maah. He's telling the truth, Kushina-san. He didn't always look like that (and how the hell are you even alive?)." Kakashi had casually strode into Ichiraku. "I was looking for you, Naruto. Tsunade-sama has something to talk to you about. She's recovering well from her coma. I wouldn't keep her waiting." Rummaging in one of the hidden inner pockets of the flak jacket, the silver haired jonin gave a triumphant 'aha' as he pulled out a tattered photo, hesitantly handing it to Kushina. It was that old photo of Team 7 when we had passed Kakashi's trial. I shuddered, remembering the Forbidden Ninpo: Thousand Years of Death.

Wiping her tears, the woman I know knew as my mother said, "This looks more like what my sochi should appear as. But...what happened to him Sakumo? And what's with that ridiculous mask? Did you have some sort of horrible accident?"

"Sakumo was my father Kushina-san. I'm Kakashi, and the reason I wear my mask, is a...secret," said the one-eyed nin, giving his trademarked one-eyed smile. "As for what happened, you'll find out soon enough if you join us to see Lady Tsunade. Oh, and another thing, I want to talk to you the next time you aren't relatively busy." My mother and I nodded, almost in sync.

Generously enough, Kakashi had put our meals on his tab(he never does that. He says I would bankrupt him if he did it more often). From there, he guided us to the building where the Slug Princess had taken up residence.

Shizune had greeted us when Kakashi had rapped firmly on the door, kindly inviting us inside. As we walked down the hall which seemed to be sleeping quarters for the healing corps, the dark haired apprentice had initiated a conversation with Kaka-sensei. Thinking about that, I was now taller than him. _'I guess Yahiko had been older than Kakashi when he died_,' I thought as we arrived at an ordinary door. A plaque to the right of the entryway spelled out the characters of Tsunade's name. The timid woman knocked on the door in some sort of encoded pattern I didn't understand.

But Tsunade was perfectly aware when she had implied with the Morse coded message, "Come in." Shizune smiled modestly as she turned the door-handle and let us into the room. The female Sannin was sitting upright in a bed. Because she had used the excess chakra she usually had sealed away, Tsunade was looking slightly older than she usually did; closer to her real age. I knew it was a touchy subject, but I let it slide despite my nature to poke fun and play pranks (probably Kyuubi's fault). Though she was in the midst of her meal, she asked, "Nani? I was told that there was something you..." Her voice stopped in mid sentence as she swallowed. Backing as far as she could into the corner, she whimpered, "Geh! P-Pain!?"

"No baa-chan. I'm Naruto," I said, looming over her. I could sense Kushina's discomfort at the way Tsunade had reacted. Everyone had known that the Slug Princess was almost fearless besides her hemophobia. But the way my appearance was now, I resembled the one man whom had razed a village with one technique. "Nagato, the one who controlled this body using the Rinnegan, gave me this body when he resurrected Konoha. I wouldn't understand it myself, but Inoichi and Ibiki might be able to explain it. Or someone else. I think it happened during Nagato's jutsu."

Kushina, who seemingly understood what had occurred for me to obtain such a feared body, sort of latched onto my arm, as if trying to make up for the years of nurturing she had been unable to give in my youth. She muttered, "I missed you, sochi..."

"Kaa-chan?"

She had remnants of tears in her red, puffy eyes. She didn't say a word, but her eyes were full of happiness. For a few moments, no words pierced the silence dawning over the room. Kakashi's fake cough broke the tension.

Blinking, the busty, blonde haired woman asked, "You keep mentioning this Nagato. Who was this man? And why do you think he revived our village? What powers could he have possessed to execute such a dangerous technique?" She seemed to have an endless number of questions in stock.

I turned my gaze toward the Slug Princess. Speaking calmly and clearly, something that wasn't my norm, I answered, "He was Jiraiya's first apprentice before me, and the wielder of the fabled Rinnegan." All eyes in the room widened, and quite fixated on me. Even my mother whom had been snuggling me rather tightly, looked up. Shizune had dropped a handful of scrolls to the ground in sheer shock. "Nagato, Yahiko and Konan. They were orphans in Amegakure. Orphans of war. Each of them lost their families because of the Third Great Shinobi war. Ame had been a neutral country. They had nothing to do with the conflicting forces, but yet their country was a battleground. Jiraiya adopted them and taught them to be able to defend themselves. Tsunade, you know why your comrade had stayed behind. Yahiko had originally formed the Akatsuki to purge the war from their land. But he wanted the cycle of hatred to end. When Yahiko was killed in a hostage situation, he left his dream to Nagato. But they had been deceived by Madara Uchiha." I let my words sink in, to let them comprehend what I had explained.

"B-but how? Madara Uchiha should have died generations ago!" blurted out Tsunade. "Several years after his fight with my grand father, Hirashima Senju, Madara was confirmed to be deceased. Madara cannot be the one behind all of this! The strings must be pulled by some impostor."

Nodding, I said, "I had thought that too. I did pay attention to my history classes, sensei," I said, smirking as I caught him surprised at my awareness of the past. "But after I had fought Pain and listened to Nagato's story, everything was made clear. Madara himself is not dead, but he is not behind everything. He is too old to fight, much less move. I do not know who is really behind the scenes. But with intel, we can possibly find out and put a stop to his evil plans."

Piping in, the young medical apprentice asked, "But what about the Rinnegan? Each of Pain's bodies had it, but what are it's origins? It's supposed to be a myth! There's no way it truly exists... until Pain attacked..." Shizune looked at the wooden floor as she realized that she had just answered most of her own questions. I couldn't help but stifle a snicker.

"All ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu and the existence of the shinobi derived from the Rikudo Sennin, Jinchurriki of the Juubi, original wielder of the Rinnegan. A demon so power, stronger than any of the living bijuu this day, but the sage had tamed it. But when it became unstable, he used his power of Creation to split apart the ten tailed beast into the nine you know of today. He had two sons, one who believed in love and peace, and the other whom desired power and sought to rule. This is how the Senju and the Uchiha had come to be. The bloodline doujutsu are merely a weaker version of the Rinnegan." I paused to catch my breath before wrapping it up, "And that is the origin of Rinnegan and the Byakugan as well as the Sharingan."

Kakashi was the first one to comment in an impressed tone, "And here I thought you were a noisy, idiotic brat. You really are Konoha's Number One Unpredictable Knuckle-Headed Ninja. Have you been playing dumb all these years to keep up a facade?"

"How dare you call my sochi an idiot!" exclaimed Kushina fiercely.

Everyone sweat-dropped as the Uzumaki woman latched onto me. I patted her, letting her know it's alright calm down. Tsunade finally asked a question that was on everyone's mind, "Say Kushina, can you explain how YOU returned from the dead? You died well over sixteen years ago during the uh, Kyuubi's rampage. How is it possible that you returned?"

Answering in my mother's stead, I replied, "I might be able to provide some insight on that subject. I doubt that I'm one hundred percent correct, but I believe Nagato felt bad that I had lived without knowing who my parents are, so he expended all of his chakra to include Kaa-chan along with the rest of Konohagakure. He was already dying, but he did what he felt was right. But I could be wrong on any margin." I could feel Kushina's grip tighter as if either one of us could be whisked away at any moment if she released her hold on my upper arm.

"But that doesn't matter anymore Naruto. I have you once again," mused Kushina happily, almost smothering me in motherly kisses in front of the Hokage and my sensei. How embarrassing!

"Kaaa-chaaan!" I whined, my old personality coming back to bite me in the ass. "You're making me look less like a bad ass in front of my comrades!" Kakashi and Tsunade were snickering; Shizune was failing miserably to contain a girlish giggle. "Hmph. If you don't need anything else, Kaa-chan and I will be on our way. We have a lot to catch up on. Expect a detailed report from Inoichi-san in a few hours or whenever he's feeling better." I hightailed out of the building with Kushina hot on my tail.

* * *

Only a couple hours had passed since the debacle at Tsunade's house. Kaa-chan quickly moved into my home and already had begun fixing up the place how she liked. Already, she had bought paint, curtains and bed spreads. She just seemed to revel in shopping. Maybe it was a girl thing?

But I needed to get out and stretch my muscles. Can't sit around and do nothing all day! Maybe go train or pay Granny a visit for more of just a chat or time killer. And maybe tour the new village layout.

As I was heading toward the Hokage's dwelling, I stopped by the gates to greet two Chunin I was pretty familiar with. "Oi, Izumo, Kotetsu! How's it going?" I was grinning as I approached the shinobi and traveler check in.

Sweat-dropping, Izumo said, "Hey Naruto. You still look terrifying even when you smile. Those piercings make your smile look insane. But so far, nothing bad has happened since you defeated Pain. You look like something good happened lately. Spill it!"

"Hehe, I suppose I hafta tell you," I said sheepishly. I forced out a cough and said, "Well, about two days ago, I found out my mother is alive. So, now I finally have someone to love me unconditionally. I won't have to pine after Sakura's affection!"

Smiling, Kotetsu said, "That's great man! It's about-"

The Chunin's sentence was cut short as the sound of hundreds of feet marching across the terrain echoed across the valley that was now Konohagakure. Instinctively, the three of us leaped in front of the gate in the Manji formation.

As I caught a glimpse of a black cloak much like mine and a swath of indigo blue hair, I eased from my stance into a casual gait as I strode forward to greet a familiar face. Before hundreds of people, Konan stood at the helm of them all. As she stopped barely two meters away, I said, "I didn't expect to see you again so soon, or here at all. What going on?"

"I seek sanctuary for the people of Amegakure," said Konan in a dull voice. She had all but dropped her aloof disposition. But her tone suggested that this was no laughing matter. She carried a wide berth of sorrow over her shoulders. I stared at her for a few moments before she said, "These people are in great danger."

A small crowd of Leaf nin and civilians alike had gathered behind me, curious of the commotion the marching had caused. As the whispering died down, I asked, "What is wrong in Ame?"

"Madara Uchiha is personally targeting me and these people," said Konan, not beating around the bush nor batting an eye. "Most of these people aren't even shinobi. Many of these are the average artisans and only an eighth of them have any experience in combat and even fewer are trained in ninjutsu. Please, let these people into your village. Because they were loyalists to Nagato, Madara wants to extinguish each and every one of their lives. I... I beg of you, Naruto! Allow my people to take shelter in the Land of Fire!"

I blushed with widened eyes. Konan was the last person I'd expect besides Sasuke who would ask for my help. I quickly responded, "I have no control of that, Konan. The only way is to seek an audience with the Godaime Hokage and what's left of the Council. I might be able to help with that. It might take a few days. Do your people have enough supplies to last a few days?"

Blushing dark enough to match my mother's hair, I was surprised that Konan had snatched me into an inescapable hug. "K-Konan..." The hug lasted for nearly a minute before the blue haired woman let go, standing a mere foot away. She coughed and resumed a pert postured stance.

"Naruto, you're talking about the people who lived in a country where it does nothing BUT rain," teased Konan. She had made a joke. She had JOKED! I was momentarily stunned. "When is the soonest we can arrange a meeting with the Hokage and the council?"

Recovering from my stupor, I blinked and said, "Er, I think I can persuade baa-chan to see to this today. I'll show you the way." Konan turned around, giving orders to the homeless villagers to set up camp. When she returned to me, I inquired, "Since when did you make jokes? You always look like you'd bite someone's head off for cracking a joke."

"Oh please Naruto, I'm not an uptight bitch," chuffed the shikigami-style kunoichi. Konan smirked. "You would not believe how gay the men in Akatsuki were. Hidan had a fetish for his made-up god, Jashin. Kakuzu was seriously fucked up. He had some sort of fetish for money and they men on it. Orochimaru...everyone knows he's a gay pedophile (chasing after young boys). Kisame...well...I think he's into bestiality or some sick thing (summoning all them sharks n shit). Deidara had a thing for Sasori who sexually liked his puppets. I think Itachi and Nagato were the only normal members of the Akatsuki."

I was shocked at Konan's colorful language. Shaking my head, I simply said as we neared Tsunade's newly rebuilt office, "You're nearly as crazy as one kunoichi as I know here." Konan simply giggled as we entered the office. "Anko will have a parade with her," I mumbled.

Tsunade was dozing back in her chair, an empty bottle of sake in front of her. Slamming my hands on the desk, I startled her awake. "Whose there?" asked the Hokage sleepily. She rubbed her eyes, looking at me.

"Just me, baa-chan," I replied casually. My deeper voice made it a lot more difficult to sound cheerful. "Oh, and my friend Konan. She has something important to discuss with you. That however, is between the two of you. And Konan, if you need to speak with me, just ask an Anbu agent and he/she will take you to wherever I might be."

Not waiting for either females to say anything, I was already outside and on my way towards Training Ground 44 for some well needed secret training session!

* * *

**A/N: Another chapter comes to an end. Yes, I did tell you a lot of the content from the old fic would be in here, but that's only a bit of it. A lot of it changes in a couple chapters. Again, reviews are highly appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Here comes the raaaaaain! Just kidding. It's actually just chapter three making it's way so soon after the rewrite's first debut! Here comes the first lemon in the story and the first actual romance part. But you'll all probably hate me for this. Oh well, win some, lose some. I don't give a flying fuck!**

**Also, hey you. Yeah you! How about you leave a review for once?!**

* * *

**Act III**

It had been a long day with a lot of crazy things happening, none which I could have really predicted. But now, it was the end of the day when no one would be pestering me. No shinobi duties while off the clock and no apparent threats.

Shops were beginning to shut down for the day and people manning stalls were packing up goods left unsold. While most of the village was still in heavy construction, it wasn't hard to make a detour over the rooftops.

Eventually, I found my way to the newly rebuilt weapon's shop and equipment for shinobi. The one owned by Tenten's family. The young kunoichi herself was bringing in the rack of outfits inside when I waved to her.

Of course she flinched upon seeing my visage. I was (sadly) already getting used to that reaction from most people I met in the streets. She clutched her heart as she jogged over to me. "Dear Kami in the High Heavens! You nearly gave me a heart attack, Naruto! Still just can't get used to the new you. It's crazy-scary."

"Hehe," I chuckled as I sheepishly scratched the back of my head. "Sorry. I feel like my normal self, but I look so scary to everyone else. Gotta remember that not everyone is used to how I look. It's kinda nice to be taller than I used to be. Anyways, I'm not just here to chat with a friend. I actually want to commission a fairly unique weapon. I know a lot of ninja's aren't very fond of them since they're a bit heavier than usual, but I want a scythe."

Raising an eyebrow, the weapons master chunin repeated, "A scythe? Do you even know how heavy those things are? As a professional weapons artist, I highly recommend straying away from that. A ninja must be quick, flexible and versatile. It's a lot more difficult to use a scythe in those ways than a kunai or a kusarigama. Why on Earth would you seriously consider using one?"

Shrugging, I replied nonchalantly, "I've been working on a new fighting style. I've become a lot stronger and this is something I believe I can handle and utilize in an effective way. So will you take this commission or not? I can take my business elsewhere if needed."

"No, no, that's quite okay," said Tenten as she waved her hands. "It's going to be pretty pricey though if you're fine with that. Most ninja tools are lightweight and balanced to the gram. With what you're asking for has a higher metal density which means we'll have to use more of our current materials to complete this project. Ah, hold on, I need to grab an order form." She quickly darted inside the shop and grabbed something from behind the counter. Coming back to where I was standing, she held a clipboard and a pen. "Now where was I? Oh yes, measurements. This will only take a second." Pulling off a spool of measuring tape, she proceeded to take note of my full standing height, the length of my shoulder to arm, wrist width and a couple others. When she was done jotting down numbers, she said, "From what measurements I took, it seems like your weapon will be five feet in length. With this information, the base price of this commission will be approximately 5,000 ryo. Might there be anything else about this weapon you would like to customize?"

Nodding, I replied, "Actually, yes. First thing I need, is three 32mm gem sockets with a depth of a half inch. " I waited for her to scribble that down before I continued, "I'd like some protection runes inscribed on the pole of the scythe and a rune to keep the blade from becoming dull. Ah, and could you use a metal that conducts chakra fairly well?"

I noticed a tint of blush on her cheeks as Tenten rapidly wrote the rest of my order down. "of course. We can do that. I'm impressed Naruto. You seem to know a lot about weapon runes. You seem a lot smarter than back at the academy. Anyways, the up front fee is fifty ryo."

"I actually just did some research is all," I replied modestly as pulled out two 25 ryo coins and deposited them in the weapon nin's outstretched palm.

With a cheerful smile, she said, "Thank you for your patronage Naruto-san. Since we currently have a backlog of orders for shuriken and kunai, I estimate that it will take around a month to complete, even with the volunteers helping. Please, come by again soon!"

"I will!" I called back as I jogged down the street towards home.

As I opened the door, I found that kaa-chan was nowhere to be found. Probably catching up with old friends or out shopping again. Yawning, I began traveling up the stairs on weary feet. When I walked to my room, I found a note wedged between the door. Pulling it out, I opened it and read:

_Naruto, come to the cheap hotel in the new Red District on 9__th__ St. _

_Come alone at midnight, and climb in through the open window._

_I am in room 6. _

_Kakashi._

* * *

Groaning, I wrenched myself over the window sill and fell onto something metal. Cursing as I hugged my gut, I finally stood up. Still not as stealthy as I could be, but I was expected here. I closed my eyes to catch my breath after climbing a vertical two story wall!

"Finally, some alone time with my favorite student," came Kakashi's lazy, carefree voice. It sounded a little high and distorted from usual.

"What's wrong sensei? Why couldn't we have just gone out for ramen in the morning to talk?" I haven't gotten any sleep for twenty hours!" I grumbled. "Not to mention you had me climb in through the fucking window! I mean come on! We might be ninjas, but we don't have to do everything in secrecy."

The small hotel room was rife with silence until he spoke again. With an audible sigh, Kakashi said, "It's better this way that we're not overheard."

[**Lemon Warning!**]

I could scarcely believe what I was actually seeing here. I mean, I've seen some pretty outlandish and messed up things, but none of that could have ever really prepared me for something like this. It was a whole different level.

In all her naked glory, Satsuki stood, completely exposing herself to me. While her tits were fucking perfect at double D's and that she was an overall bombshell, what really alarmed me was the flaccid penis wedged between her legs. I couldn't look away if I wanted to.

"Yes I know, Naruto-kun," came my sensei's soft girlish voice. "Having a penis has been one of the biggest issues in my life. Having both breasts and a dick really messed up my identity. But..." Her voice faltered before she said more strongly, "After my brush with death, I found out who I am. When I was dead, I was able to speak to my father and we talked for a long time. I was given closure on my father's reputation and he also gave me insight. But I now know that I am a kunoichi, a woman with friends who help each other out. And it's all thanks to you, the one man I love!"

I was utterly stunned. Even with her speech, I was having a difficult time processing all of this information. The fact that my sensei was a girl the whole period that I had know her, AND that she was born with a dick was insane! It was weird and kinda sexy at the same time. But I can't really refute the way my body feels. The tent rising in my pants was a sure dead giveaway.

"I dunno what to say, Satsuki," I admitted wholeheartedly. "It's still tough to get over the fact that your real name isn't Kakashi, but that you're also like that dickgirl in Ero-sennin's one unpublished book. I think that was the one I gave you when I came back from the two year training period. Still, it's hard to accept- whaaaat?! Did you just say you loved me?!"

A girlish giggle escaped the silver haired woman's lips as she pressed a brief kiss against my mouth, "It's not so difficult to believe, is it? You're a well toned man, very handsome and you fight to protect your village and precious people. Of course it was easy to fall in love with you. I've spent the last four years guiding the three kids that somehow passed my test. And only one of my students turned out right from my tutelage: you. Sasuke seemed to be doomed to be an avenger for the rest of his life. But I never understood how Sakura never liked you. Sure you were a bit of a goof back then, but I realize now you did it for a reason. But you don't need to do that anymore, because I owe my life to you multiple times and you have my unconditional love."

Shrugging, I replied, "Honestly, I don't have a clue either. She never paid me much attention back then, if she gave me any heed at all even though I did so much for her."

"Hush Naruto-kun," said Satsuki as she moved in to embrace me. It was a bit queer to be hugged by a naked woman with a dick. Then with a giggle, she said, "Oh dear, I didn't expect you to think I was attractive enough to get this sort of reaction from you already. That's very flattering!"

Pulling away from her with an embarrassed blush, I muttered a quick apology. I never knew if having a boner was considered a complement or an insult to a lady.

Shaking her head, the shemale nin said, "There's nothing for you to be sorry for hon. I'm honored that your own body finds me attractive. It makes me feel like a real woman. Incidentally, I wanted to ask if you'd like to have sex with me. Would you like to make me feel pretty?"

I nearly grunted at how increasingly tighter my trousers and boxers are becoming. I already knew my decision. A sexy whom I'd known for a couple years was offering me the best type of stress relief known to man! Who was I to turn her down?

"Yeah, sure I'll lay with you tonight, Satsuki," I said, giving her my answer. My mind was made up and I would take a risk I may or may not end up regretting. "I'm sure we could both blow off some steam and have fun doing it. And you're already an incredibly beautiful woman. I don't need to make you feel pretty for something you've naturally mastered."

"Wonderful," Satsuki purred in a sultry voice as she laid down on the slightly uncomfortable bed. "I've already prepared privacy seals for our... amorous activities tonight. Now come over here and allow me to take care of that problem of yours~"

It didn't come as much of a shocker that Satsuki was well versed in the lingo that became of adult situations like this, but entirely different that it was to me she was speaking those flirty and lewd words to. Obeying, I waltzed over to the corner of the bed where I would be standing next to the beautifully busty bombshell. Hardly being a virgin, I was already taking off my mesh undershirt and my pants. My boxers were short lived as my sensei practically tore them to pieces. I'll be going commando until I buy more. But more importantly, I was now in the buff.

Satsuki's eyes were now fixed upon my turgid length hat pointed right at her generous chest. She seemed to lick her lips at the sight of my arousal. "It looks delicious," she cooed with a loving trill before giving my shaft a gentle stroke and a squeeze.

I gasped at how wonderful her soft hand felt around my cock. My manhood tingled and seemed to be as hard as steel the more turned on I became. Instinctively, I thrusted back against her slow, pumping movements. But she soon took her hand away from my needy dick.

I whimpered at the building pleasure coming to a halt, causing me to open my eyes to investigate why she had stopped. A devious smile was painted across her lips as she knelt on the bed on all fours, ass up and looking back towards me with a tantalizing moan as she squeezed her breast. Just that single leer was making me even more frisky!

Not even needing to be told, I scrambled onto the bed with less than feline grace. Inching up to where Satsuki was presenting her luscious ass, I gave it a hard resounding spank. Her firm rear jiggled and was left red with a hand-print. The Copy nin groaned as she said, "Go ahead Naruto-kun, I've already prepared myself for you."

"As you wish, my princess," I replied with what words I was able to articulate as I too knelt on the bed behind her. As I began lining my shaft to her crevice, I discovered that her entire body was lightly oiled. It gave her womanly curves a bronzed look in the dim lighting cast by the many candles around the motel room. Pressing the head of my throbbing cock against her pucker, I told Satsuki to brace herself. Being as careful as I could, I slid manhood into her pucker with moderate resistance.

Once inside, I moaned loudly in satisfaction. She too, warbled in a mixture of what sounded like pain and pleasure. Her warm tunnel squeezed tightly around my pole like a velvet glove. I slowly withdrew and soon pushed deep back in her rear. Each thrust I made seemed to evoke a series of lewd moans. Soon, I was rocking inside my lover at a slow and steady pace that appeared to be just right for the both of us, our balls slapping noisily against each other. My hands no longer needed to rest on the kunoichi's hips and I reached out to fondle her pillowy orbs as I worked her arse. But they didn't remain there long, roaming my lover's contours.

It wasn't long before my calloused hand had made it's way to Satsuki's semi-flaccid cock. Within my palm, I could feel her racing heartbeat through the warm and pulsing length. It received a gentle squeeze before I nervously began to pump it with my hand. Bucking against the movements of my hips and my hand, the silverette panted huskily as she found a way to maximize her pleasure. With an alarming abruptness, my talented kunoichi lover cried in pleasure. In my hand I felt the tension in her rod being released as a jet of pearly splashed onto the sheets underneath her. The dual combination of pleasure I had been assaulting Satsuki's body with seemed to have been too much for her.

Seeing Satsuki cumming onto the bed pushed me over the edge, causing me to howl as I spilled my liquid love into her moist niche. Panting, I slowly pulled out, the thick, creamy seed oozing out of my lover's hole. We both were exhausted now.

Sprawled upon the ruined bed, I cuddled up to Satsuki's sweaty form as our coupling had come to an end. From behind, I spooned her with my arms around her waist. Her own digits intertwined with mine. The scent of her now messy silver hair smelled faintly of the lotus flowers that had recently started blooming in the Yamanaka's flower-shop. No words were exchanged as sleep overtook us.

* * *

Despite what had transpired a few days ago, I was still somewhat unsure how to feel about the whole sex thing. Hell, I'd actually sodomized my sensei! It did make sense that Satsuki had been 'female' all along. The mask- all the secrets and the fact that hardly anything was known about her in general made almost anything possible. But now I know the truth about Satsuki Hatake, daughter of the White Fang. As for my sexuality, I still saw myself as straight. She's a girl (dick or not) and I'm a man. Simple, no?

I slowly opened my eyes, the gray ringed irises were nowhere to be seen. I'd discovered that I could deactivate the doujutsu, leaving behind my ocean blue eyes. It was ironic that Yahiko and I had the same eye color. I remained in the meditation pose even though I had felt his presence before he had even arrived.

"Can I help you, Shikamaru?"

A sigh dragged out from from between his lips. The Nara heir had his arms crossed as he answered in a vapid tone, his interest level scoring in the negatives, "Man this is so troublesome. All of the teams back when we were all genin enlisted me to tell you that we're having a party or something in your honor. Just show up tonight at the new pavilion. I don't care if you show up or not. If you need a kimono or something for the occasion, you can borrow one from me or whoever decides to help. Anyways, I'm out of here. I've got more important things to do."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Yeah, sure. Like watching clouds?" Shikamaru didn't seem to hear my remark as he was already walking away disinterestedly. I snorted at how anti-social he seemed to act. Other than interacting with his team or Ino and Choji, he never really spoke much unless it was something important. And ever since his sensei's death, he had been even more so withdrawn than I had known him to be.

[Much Later]

**"****It sure was was nice of that white haired human to give you a haori and kimono. Satsuki, was her name? Still can't believe you mated with her, but whatever. Kami knows your old kimono wouldn't fit you, even if it wasn't destroyed in the attack that razed the village. Ah, but you're so tall now~" **commented Kyuubi as I tied the obi cord tight around my waist. The kimono itself was a dusky blue. Black silk decorated the garment's cuffs. Patterned down the side in snow white was the kanji for 'White Fang'. It must have been her father's garment.

Minutes later, I was strolling through the trade district. While only a short walk from the center of the village, the streets leading to the new performing pavilion were abandoned. Not one person was wandering the streets. As I walked up the steps of the outdoor pavilion, a plethora of voices shouted in unison:

"THANK YOU FOR BEING A HERO!"

I blinked as I walked into the center district square where the new pavilion had be rebuilt. Bright multicolored lights flashed on, making it look like a full blown festival! Dozens of people were standing underneath a massive banner hung from the massive wooden pillars holding up the pavilion. The words emblazoned on the paper read 'Congratulations Naruto-sama! I recognized many of the shinobi from my days in the academy and early ninja career. There were also some others I met from other villages. Every single one of them wore a traditional kimono, exempting the ANBU on active duty.

Amongst the ones from other villages, I saw old man Teuchi and his daughter Ayame. Tazuna and Tsunami. I almost didn't recognize Inari as he had become a young teenager, ready to begin his training as a shinobi if he so wished. Even Konan and a few people I didn't recognize from the Hidden Rain Village had attended.

I couldn't help, but shed a few tears of joy at the thought of these people. All the people whom I worked hard to protect and save, were treating me with respect and acknowledgment. It made me realize, that being the Hokage was no longer a dream of mine. I had already achieved my dream of being the center of attention of everyone in the village and even some from other countries. As I wiped my eyes, I thought my next goal was to become an even greater Legendary Sage than Ero-sennin!

"Thank you everyone," I whispered as I wiped my tears away with a hand.

In what was left of Team 7, I found Satsuki wearing a pure white kimono and a blue haori. 'Sakumo Hatake' was sewn onto the left sleeve. Still masqueraded as a male, I assumed she hadn't let anyone else know her true identity. It was odd to see sensei in such a bright outfit. It must be her father's. Yeah, I knew of Kakashi's father, the 'White Fang'. But I saw Yugao Uzuki with her arm wound tightly around Kakashi's. She was blushing and looking fondly at the Copy Ninja. Did she even know that her friend was really a girl?

Sakura was wearing a peach kimono, only slightly lighter than the hue of her hair. She was standing beside the Ino-Shika-Cho team. Said team had matching kimono's... well except Shikamaru who wore his shinobi gear. Bastard is too good to wear traditional clothes, huh?

One of the off duty ANBU walked up to me. It appeared to me that her code name was that of a cat as was splayed on the mask which was pulled to the side, showing her cute face. She had _very _long raven hair. Considering her armor looked flat, I could tell she wasn't well gifted with large breasts, giving her a svelte figure. Her mismatched eyes seemed to make up with cuteness. Her pallid legs were smooth and shone in the lantern light.

"I-I'm Setsuna of the third anbu unit," she mumbled, a slight stutter in her speech. "T-thanks for saving Konohagakure no Sato. You did us all a great favor."

"It was nothing Neko-san," I said, brushing a hand through my orange hair. I thought nothing of her not having a last name, but I already knew that the Anbu mainly operated with code names. "I had to protect my village and my people. It's just what I do."

A blush was reddening on her face. Setsuna said, "S-shut up! I-it's not like we asked you to. We could have handled it on our own!" With that, she stomped off into the crowd. The party seemed to be underway since I arrived.

"Who was that?" I asked as I walked up to Satsuki who was yawning behind her mask. "What was with that weird attitude of hers?"

Yugao shifted her attention to me. "Oh her? That's Setsuna, my supposed replacement in the ANBU corps since I left active duty. Also somewhat of an apprentice of mine. She asked me to train her in kenjutsu since she admired my skill. But since she joined the shinobi ranks, she's always been a cold-hearted girl. Never thanked anyone for praising her. Barely talks to anyone. And only cooperates with people when on a mission. There's a lot of room for improvement for her. Why do you ask?"

I shrugged, answering nonchalantly, "Just curious really. She seemed kinda flustered to me. Didn't seem cold-hearted to me."

"Flustered you say? That's nothing like Setsuna at all! That's really unusual for her," mused Satsuki, with a subtle hint of jealousy. "Sounds like you have a girlfriend Naruto." The second sentence seemed really strained.

The purple haired beauty snerked. "Kakashi, have you been reading Icha Icha Paradise again? You know real life relationships are nothing like that perverted book of yours. And stop reading them! It's degrading to women!" Ha, if only Yugao knew of her colleague's real identity.

"Ow! You didn't need to hit me Yugao-chan," grumbled Satsuki as she rubbed her head. "But I do think Neko has a penchant for Naruto-kun."

"Why do you say that Kaka-sensei?" I asked as I accepted a saucer of sake from a young woman barely older than myself. "I'm not really well known as a chick magnet. You know how Sakura was. Hinata was the only girl really interested in me. Shame that she's still in the hospital."

Chuckling, Satsuki Hatake said, "Oh, I think I have some pretty good evidence that-"

The one-eyed ninja was interrupted as two women jumped onto my back. "What the hell?!" I shouted as I managed to pry the women off of me. Looking down, I found Konan and Yuri had fallen flat on their asses.

"Teehee. H-hello Naruto-kun," giggled Konan. Yuri was blushing deeply. Both women had flushed cheeks and their movements were struggled. I blinked in confusion.

"You two are drunk. Go home."

Yuri merfed, "O-onii-chan is a meanie." That caused me to blanch. I was definitely sure the two of them were wasted. I had to get out of there.

Acting quickly, I used the **Kawarimi **jutsu to escape, leaving a confused Neji in my wake. I mentally apologized for the inconvenience, but his distraction provided my means to get away from whatever chaos was about to ensue.

* * *

I was glad to be away from the party. How could it not have been more than ten minutes after I arrived that I was swarmed by two drunk girls? Can someone even get drunk that fast?! Standing at the top of the Hokage Mountain, just on the outskirts of the village. I didn't think I was followed. I dismissed a clone that had brought back my shinobi gear. I quickly switched into my Akatsuki cloak, mesh shirt and black pants. I sent another clone to return the kimono and haori to my apartment.

I sighed and muttered, **"Kagebunshin no Jutsu." **I gave orders to my corporeal clones to return to the party in my stead. It really was an ingenious technique. Great for scouting, gathering information and even other possibilities. While fragile, the shadow-clone is virtually indistinguishable from the original.

I leaned back against a tree trunk, sighing. I checked out the kimono; I found it in decent shape. No rips, tears in the silk. Just some dust. Satsuki would have handed my ass to me if I'd torn or even scuffed her father's kimono. I let out a sigh of relief.

* * *

[Center District Pavilion] (3rd PoV)

"Ne, Kakashi-kun," purred Yugao as she snuggled up to the spiky, white-haired woman (still in disguise), "Aren't you worried about Naruto-sama? He just...left the party. Do you know where he went?"

Shaking her head, the one-eyed woman chuckled. "For Naruto, not at all. I know that whenever he's faced with some drama or a big dilemma, he can always be found on the mountain just above the Fourth's stone face. When I first met him, he was a complete mess. I tell you, he had absolutely no chakra control. He had terribly flawed taijutsu and absolutely no means of using genjutsu."

"The Hokage monument? Are you kidding me?" shouted Yugao. "That's where Setsuna goes on a full moon like tonight! She's gonna be pissed! Or worse. The Fourth Hokage was her role model. Growing up, she was completely infatuated with him. When he died, she vowed to never care about anyone again. She hates Naruto more than anyone. If he interrupts her training, she's gonna kill him!"

Yugao made a move to run towards the stone faces, but was stopped by Satsuki. She shook her head as she said, "I know you're worried about them, but Naruto is a good kid. He may have been a goof ball as a genin, but he's grown up now. Probably more mature than most people at his age should be. Then again he's suffered more than anyone, not knowing who his parents were and being shunned for most of his life. It's a little sad."

"But...Setsuna..."

"I know she's like a daughter to you Yugao-chan," She gave an eye-smile to enforce her reassurance. "Naruto's like a son to me. Funny that he looks my age now. I would have stopped him if I didn't have faith in him. After all, he did save Konoha from the Akatsuki. I think he can set her straight. He has a strange ability to change people for the better."

Yugao slapped Satsuki's face. A hand-print reddened on his cheek. "You better be right, or someone is going to seriously get hurt."

The Copycat ninja sweat-dropped.

* * *

[Hokage Mountain] (Naruto's PoV)

"What's a Hero like you doing out here? So far away from his party? Too good for everyone else?" asked a quiet, girlish voice. Her voice seethed with loathing.

Turning around, I found a familiar face. It was the ANBU girl who had talked to me when I had first arrived at the party. I wondered if she had followed me or if she'd been here all along. She didn't seem to be breathing heavily. Must be a coincidence.

"Ohh...uh...hello there Neko-san," I said, rubbing the back of my head. I always seemed to do that when putting on a fake smile and an innocent facade."Neh, I really wasn't expecting to see you here. Well, anyone for that matter."

"Tch. That's just like you, dodging around people's questions," growled Setsuna. "How arrogant of you. And wearing the uniform of the enemy like a traitor!"

Sighing, I dropped the nice guy act. I used it when around friends, but this wasn't the time. Now was the time to be serious. "What the hell is wrong with you? At the party you, thank me for saving the village and now you call me a traitor?"

Drawing her standard issue ninjato, Setsuna growled, "I hate you Naruto Uzumaki! I hate you! I hate you!"

"Why?" I asked calmly, my stance open, but combat-ready.

"Nani?! Why do I hate you?" Setsuna raised her katana defensively. "I'll tell you why you're such a fucking prick! Because of you, the Namikaze-sama is dead! You're the Kyuubi's jailor." She swung her blade towards me.

I intercepted her slash with the impaler rod I obtained with a seal I had scribbled onto the inside arm of my cloak. "You hate me because of something out of my control? Tch, how immature."

She only snarled and attempted to behead me. I dodged and countered; my foot connected to her sternum and flung her back several feet. Climbing up to her feet, she spat, "Asshole. If you hadn't been born, the Yondaime would still be alive. Then you, a nobody comes along and 'saves' the village from the Akatsuki."

"Yeah right. If it wasn't for the Fourth Hokage, Konoha wouldn't exist," I said as I dodged a sloppy stab attack. She slashed at me again, only for her sword to clash against my impaler. "I had to do my duty. The bastard razed my precious village. He hurt all the people I hold dear."

"He attacked Konoha because of you and only you!"

Setsuna roared as she leaped into the air for an aerial attack, which I easily sidestepped. Her katana stuck in the ground, I threw a round-house kick into her torso.

Letting her get back up, I said, "Like I said, I had no choice in the matter of becoming a Jinchurriki. 'A human sacrifice,' they call people like me. They utilize us as super weapons to wreak devastation upon their enemies. They're nothing more than weapons."

I blocked an open handed strike deftly with my forearm. She back flipped a few feet, widening the distance between us.

**"****Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"**I heard as a massive ball of fire hurtled towards me. "You're mine!"

I chuckled as I cut the blazing comet in half with the chakra staff, the weapon seeming to absorb energy from the jutsu. I said, smirking, **"Bakudan Bunshin."** Setsuna's mismatched eyes widened as my clone latched it's arms around her. I said, **"Kai!" **A minor explosion went off, throwing the young ANBU agent to the ground. Her uniform was smoking.

"You fucker! That was a cheap shot!" hollered Setsuna as she charged at me. Again, I sidestepped her assault too easily. I hadn't even gotten serious. I thrust out my leg, causing her to trip. "You're a nobody! And a demon! You wear the skin of the enemy! You deserve to die!" Neko screeched as she fell over.

As she got up, I could see how beaten up she looked. And sadly most of it was her own fault. It was kind of pathetic to look at.

Abandoning her sword, Setsuna aimed a kick at my head. Adroitly, I grabbed her ankle and threw her at a tree. Pouring chakra to her feet, the ANBU agent pushed off from the tree straight towards me with the intent to kill.

"It is sad that my father sealed the Kyuubi no Yoko into my gut," I said just loud enough for her to hear. "Minato Namikaze was my father and the Fourth Hokage. He sealed the strongest of the bijou into my stomach at a great cost: his own life."

Raising my hand, I muttered, **"Shinra Tensei."** Setsuna was a foot away when I pushed my chakra and forced her away, causing the young girl to crash into a tree. The gravity jutsu was an SS-class jutsu privy only to myself now. My secret training was finally paying off!

Spurring chakra into my feet, I launched my body into the air. I landed just a few feet away from Neko. I strode up to her, my eyes cold and uncaring. I raised the impaler rod and slammed it down an inch from her head.

"Why? Why can't I defeat you!? You're a nobody. A..."

"Shut up you fucking cunt," I roared as I pinned her arms and legs. I ruthlessly slapped her cheek."I have you beat. You will listen to me." Setsuna merely nodded. I could see the fear in her eyes. "I hate hurting women, but you wouldn't listen. Now, you will." I saw her gulp.

"I told you, I'm the son of the Yondaime Hokage. Uzumaki is my mother's surname, but I'm still Namikaze's son." I noticed Setsuna's eyes widening at my revelation. "Sarutobi told me there was a reason I couldn't use that name. Orochimaru killed him before he ever told me. But I think I know why. Because my father had a lot of enemies, the Sandaime didn't want anyone to know anyone of the Namikaze blood was still alive. It's kinda ironic since I no longer have that body."

"I may be the jailer of the Kyuubi, but it has taken a toll upon me. One you could never imagine," I growled. "Since the day I lost my mother and father, I was alone. I was alone from the very beginning. I don't know anything about you, but the pain and loneliness I endured could never amount to what happened to me."

"I was kicked out of the orphanage at age five. I lived on the streets for several weeks before I was given an apartment in one of the poorer districts out of the sheer kindness of Sarutobi's heart. He was like a grandfather to me," I sighed, remembering the good times I had with the Sandaime. Neko gaped in horror when she heard of my childhood.

The black haired girl asked, "Then how come I wasn't able to beat you? You're not even a chunin! I'm an ANBU!"

That made me chuckle, laugh even. She glared at me expectantly. Humoring her, I said. "About three years ago, I left with Jiraiya, the Toad Sannin on a two year trip for training. I used to be an inexperienced genin ignorant of the true life of a shinobi. I left as a boy and came back a man. I'm probably at the level of a tokubetsu jonin."

"So what, you became stronger and experienced. I have those things as well. How were you able bat me around like a mouse?" spat Setsuna.

Wiping the spittle from my face, I said, "I'll tell you what you don't have." My eyes lit up with passion. You don't have friends you want to protect. You don't have the passion-the determination to become stronger for the sake of your precious people. What I can tell from fighting with you, is that you're completely alone. You only fight for yourself."

"I...I," faltered Setsuna. She whispered, "I'm sorry. I...I had no idea you had such a life. I didn't even know you were the son...of...of my hero."

As my gripped slackened, I widened my eyes as Setsuna's arm pulled me down on top of her. Our lips met in an rough kiss. At first, I protested before melting into the kiss. I kissed back eagerly. It was the first time anyone had initiated anything romantic with me besides Satsuki. Her petite body was starting to become attractive the more she grabbed at my ass and nibbled on my lower lip. She was only a year or two younger than I.

I broke the kiss first. I grasped my impaler staff and rose to my feet. I grabbed my Akatsuki cloak and draped it around my shoulders and turned to face the village. As she was walking towards me, I asked, "Why did you kiss me Setsuna?"

"I-it's not like I like you like that or anything," huffed the loli ninja. "You...you just...you're my hero now, okay? I'm not gonna repeat myself, so you better have heard it!"

I looked up at the sky, saying, "We should go back to the party. I'm sure my clones are gone by now."

"Yeah, whatever."

Before I was able to jump down onto the stone faces, her voice stopped me: "Naruto? Can I ask a question?"

"Depends on the question," I retorted condescendingly.

A sigh left her lips as she took a deep breath. Then the small-chested ninja said, "I...uh...I really liked that kiss. It...was my first." I smiled to myself. Setsuna then continued, "Um, I've been a ninja for a while, but I've never had sex before. I get teased a lot for it. I wanna end that." She gulped and finally asked, "N-Naruto, will you be the one to take my virginity?"

I gaped. This was the first time a girl asked me to have sex with her. It took me a few moments to think about it. Five minutes passed and I had an answer. I rubbed my chin and replied, "Yeah... If that's what you want. But I...I'd rather you wanted to have sex because you like me."

"I...I need to think about this now..." Setsuna said, "See you later prick." There was breeze of wind as the ANBU girl shunshined away, leaving my alone on the mountain.

I shrugged and made my way back to the center district.

[At the party]

I returned to the party as it was dying down. The first thing that happened was that I was approached by the Godaime Hokage. Surprisingly enough, she wasn't drunk.

"Ah, something I can help you with Baa-Chan?" I inquired. "And how are you not drunk yet?"

"I'll ignore that last comment," said the busty Hokage with an agitated tick-mark on her forehead. She handed me a slip of paper that was a medical summons at the next earliest convenience. "You know what that's for. But the reason you need a full check up is your new body. While that's in process, I'll be filling you in on some recent developments on the village. Have a good night and don't drink too much."

"Like you're one to talk," I muttered under my breath as I stalked off into the night.

* * *

**A/N Another successful chapter comes to an end. Do not weep my children, for the book has only just begun! And such as I predicted, many of you probably hate me for a) what I did to Kakashi and b) how I had Naruto act with Yuuko (Fem! Kyuubi/Kurama) back in chapter one. But that's how things are gonna roll from now on. Also, go back and read the whaaat in Chris Gryffin's voice. And I'm not sure how sexy or cheesy that sex scene was. FYI, I do NOT read Harlequin romance novels so my sex scenes aren't pro like theirs. Remember kids, stay in school, the Author writes whatever the hell he/she wants and reviews are like crack. Seriously, reviews give me inspiration. Feed my addiction!**

**Great Balls of Fire Batman, that was a long chapter!**


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